Canadian Pacific to Sponsor Canadian Pacific $1 Million Grand Prix, FEI CSI-5*, presented by Wells Fargo; Event to be Highest-Ranked in United States Show Jumping This Year

SAUGERTIES, New York (August 15, 2015): HITS, Inc. is pleased to announce that Canadian Pacific (CP) has signed on as the title sponsor of the $1 Million Grand Prix – FEI CSI-5*, at HITS-on-the-Hudson Sunday, September 6, 2015.

The Canadian Pacific $1 Million Grand Prix, FEI CSI-5*, presented by Wells Fargo, will draw the world’s top riders to HITS-on-the-Hudson for the grand finale of the HITS show jumping season. Based on the prize money and its FEI 5* status, the Canadian Pacific $1 Million Grand Prix, FEI CSI-5*, presented by Wells Fargo, should be the highest-ranked show jumping event in the United States this year. CP is the leading show jumping Grand Prix sponsor in North America, and HITS is thrilled to have this world-renowned transportation company as the title sponsor for its largest event of the year.

“My hope has always been for this to be the most important jumping class in America,” said HITS President and CEO Thomas Struzzieri. “For the past several years we have had a major corporate sponsor for this class, and even when that contract expired we elected to continue to hold this event. That decision was fostered by our hope to keep the momentum that the class had achieved over the past five years. Our decision has been rewarded by Canadian Pacific signing on as the title sponsor. This creates the perfect marriage between the most significant class in the U.S. and the most generous sponsor that the sport has ever known.”

“HITS is synonymous with elite show jumping in the United States,” said Canadian Pacific CEO E. Hunter Harrison. “This sponsorship is an opportunity for CP to partner with a dynamic and innovative organization that shares similar values. We wish all the best to those competing at HITS-on-the-Hudson.”

The Labor Day weekend event is shaping up to be the show of the year, dwarfing all other U.S. shows, with over $2 million in prize money. Struzzieri continued, “It is really a pretty remarkable weekend. The CP $1 Million Grand Prix offers twice the prize money of any competing show management company in the states. The Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Classic offers five times the prize money of the nearest rival, and the $250,000 Hunter Prix and the $250,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Prix both offer 10 times the highest prize money awarded for those levels at any other show. An event such as this cements HITS as the leader in the sport.”

Make your plans soon to show or be a spectator at this extraordinary event. If you can’t be in Saugerties that weekend, refer to the HITS website for scheduling of all of these classes via a live Internet feed.

The entire CSI-5* event, spanning September 2-6, includes a total of four FEI-ranked classes: a $34,000 Saugerties Jumper Classic on Wednesday, September 2; a $34,000 HITS Jumper Classic* on Friday, September 4, (a qualifier for the CP $1 Million); a $100,000 Hudson Valley Jumper Classic on Saturday, September 5; and the CP $1 Million on Sunday, September 6. There will also be a Black Tie Gala, hosted by CP, at the Diamond Mills Hotel & Tavern in Saugerties. Details on the event will be available in the coming weeks.

Affirming its commitment to high-performance riders – and raising the standard and competition level for show jumping in the United States – HITS will offer a total of four FEI five-star rated classes at its circuits around the country in 2015-2016.

In addition to the CP $1 Million Grand Prix, CSI-5*, presented by Wells Fargo, the HITS 2015/2016 CSI-5* Tour includes:

National Sunshine Series (National Sunshine II, November 4-8, 2015);

HITS Desert Circuit (Desert Circuit III, February 2-7, 2016);

HITS Ocala Winter Circuit (HITS Ocala VII, March 1-6, 2016)

For more information on these internationally ranked classes, or to request any HITS circuit Prize List, please visit HitsShows.com.

About Canadian PacificCanadian Pacific is a transcontinental railway in Canada and the United States with direct links to eight major ports, including Vancouver and Montreal, providing North American customers a competitive rail service with access to key markets in every corner of the globe. CP is growing with its customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services, logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit cpr.ca to see the rail advantages of Canadian Pacific.

About HITS, Inc.HITS, Inc. produces 40 weeks of international-level hunter/jumper horse shows across the United States. Based in Saugerties, New York, HITS was established in 1982, and now offers world-class equestrian circuits in California, Florida, Arizona, New York and Virginia. HITS operates the HITS Championship, the Richest Weekend in Show Jumping, each September in Saugerties, with over $2 million in prize money, as well as the HITS Triple Crown of Show Jumping: the AIG $1 Million Grand Prix, in Thermal, California, the Great American $1 Million Grand Prix in Ocala, Florida, and the Canadian Pacific $1 Million Grand Prix CSI-5*, presented by Wells Fargo, in Saugerties, New York.

Canadian Pacific (CP) will sponsor the CP $1 Million Grand Prix, FEI CSI-5*, presented by Wells Fargo at HITS-on-the-Hudson Sunday, September 6, 2015. The event is set to be the highest-ranked in United States show jumping this year. Photo: (c) ESI Photography